SCA says it will no longer broadcast cricket following initial two-year deal
Southern Cross Austereo (SCA) will not seek to acquire radio media rights for the cricket for another two years, it announced today.
SCA’s Triple M network first signed the deal with Cricket Australia to broadcast Test matches in 2016. Since then, Triple M’s coverage has included a number of Test series and the Ashes, which ran in late 2017 and early 2018.
Triple M has held the FM broadcasting rights for two years
Today, John Kelly, chief operating officer at SCA, said after assessing the business and lineup, the company had made a “commercial decision” to pursue “alternative summer programming”.
“We will not be seeking a new broadcast agreement with Cricket Australia,” Kelly said.
Mike Fitzpatrick, Triple M’s head of content, thanked all commentators and staff who had worked on the coverage and Cricket Australia for the opportunity.
“Broadcasting cricket on Triple M for the past two seasons of summer cricket including an Ashes Tour has been great fun and our listeners loved it,” Fitzpatrick said.
“We’ve successfully appealed to both cricket lovers and a broader radio audience, injecting comedy and entertainment, while our diverse line-up delivered knowledgeable and informative commentary.”
Earlier this year, it was reported Southern Cross Austereo, Macquarie Media and Crocmedia were all in the mix of the radio rights.
The radio broadcasting rights follow the record $1b TV deal between Foxtel and Seven, which was announced last month.
Mumbrella has approached Cricket Australia for comment.
What a pity. Summer was all the better with MMM + cricket.
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Yep totally agree. Loved it and this is a real shame. They actually made cricket on the radio enjoyable and accessible. Interested to know why it wasn’t commercial and whether CA was simply asking for too much money?
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